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On March 30, the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Wilson Library will host its second Wikipedia edit-a-thon. Participants will meet in Wilson Library and use collection materials to create, update, and improve articles about people, places, events, and organizations associated with African American history in North Carolina.

Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never edited Wikipedia before. Staff will be on hand to help you find books and articles on topics that interest you, and to help you with Wikipedia edits.

Refreshments will be provided and tours of Wilson Library will be given throughout the event.

The event is open from 1:00pm to 4:30pm. Feel free to arrive and leave whenever it suits you.

The North Carolina Science Festival is a multi-day celebration showcasing science and technology. The Festival highlights the educational, cultural and financial impact of science in our state. Through hands-on activities, science talks, lab tours, nature experiences, exhibits and performances, the Festival engages a wide range of public audiences while inspiring future generations.

This year’s Science Festival begins on March 28, 2014 and runs for two weeks. There are literally hundreds of events happening all over the state for people of all ages.

Some highlights include:

Fourteen Science Expos (from Western Carolina University to East Carolina University).

The second annual Statewide Star Party on April 4th and 5th. Dozens of stargazing pros all over the state are ready to show you the wonder of the night sky!

In addition to those events, New York Times Science Writer Carl Zimmer is coming to UNC-Charlotte. There’s a family science fair at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh. GO-Science is hosting an expo in Greenville — And that’s just a smattering of the first weekend!

Here are some stats for this year:

This year’s festival has a grand total of 750 events. 410 on the public calendar, 340 at schools.

Programs are happening in 96 of North Carolina’s 100 counties (223 cities/towns).

The Festival’s goal for attendance is 300,000 North Carolinians, so they hope you’ll attend events, bring your friends and family AND spread the word as we continue on our way to making North Carolina the state that does SCIENCE.

The Presidential Primary Sources Project offers a series of free fifty-minute videoconferencing programs sponsored by the U.S. Presidential Libraries and Museums, National Park Service, and the Internet2 K20 Initiative.

Grade Level: The programs are designed for students in grades 6-12.

How do these programs benefit library patrons, teachers, and students? Students will interact live with presidential historians at Presidential Libraries and park rangers at our National Presidential Historic Sites to explore historical themes and events. This year’s central theme will be “Leadership in a Time of Crisis”. In addition to live interactive discussion, primary source documents will be used extensively during the presentations.

Program Registration:http://goo.gl/VD2QEm
The first 10 classrooms or public libraries that register and complete
videoconferencing testing for a particular program session will qualify as an
interactive site. All other classrooms can view the live web-stream.

Equipment Requirements: Your classroom or library will need access to a H.323
compliant desktop video conferencing software program or room system. The video
conferencing system should be able to operate at a minimum of 384kbps. Every
participating site will also need to test their connection with our project team in
advance of the program.

National Standards: With the focus on historical events and extensive use of supporting primary source documents, teachers will find the presentations coincide with a number of national standards related to historical thinking and reading history. Specifically:

NCpedia.org, a program of the North Carolina Government & Heritage Library at the State Library of North Carolina needs feedback from you!

NCpedia has added over 4000 articles in the last two years. The State Library of North Carolina’s Government & Heritage Library is interested in ensuring NCpedia is as effective as possible and that it contains the information about North Carolina you need.

Please tell then what you think about NCpedia by taking a short, anonymous survey. The survey will be available until 12:00 noon EST on Friday, April 11, 2014.

Registration is open for a free North Carolina History Education Workshop to be held on Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 9:30am to 12:30pm in the Pleasants Room of Wilson Library at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Featured speakers include LEARN NC’s Executive Director, Andy Mink, as keynote speaker; Dr. Fitzhugh Brundage, Chair of the UNC History Department; Brandie Fields, Executive Director of the Orange County History Museum; Nicholas Graham, Coordinator of the NC Digital Center at UNC Libraries; Bill Melega, Social Studies teacher at Chapel Hill High School; and Dr. Matthew Mitchell of the UNC History Department.

This will be a chance to network, discuss, and share ideas that work! Earn CEUs! For more information, call 919-357-4192. To register by email, contact nc.ncheregister@gmail.com.

Join the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on an educational adventure of a lifetime! Since 1987 the Museum’s Educator of Excellence Institutes have provided exceptional educators with staff development opportunities that transform the way they view and teach natural sciences. Educators from across North Carolina have been inspired by their experiences in outstanding natural areas such as Belize, Ecuador, and Yellowstone National Park.

Dates: June 18-27, 2014Location: Ecuador, South America and Raleigh, NCActivity Level: Moderate to rigorous, including walking/hiking in both high heat/humidity and at extremely high altitudesCost: $1,300 (includes supplies, round-trip air travel between Raleigh and Quito, Ecuador, all ground transportation, instruction, lodging, and most meals). Participants are responsible for travel to and from Raleigh, expenses in Raleigh during pre- and post-trip sessions, and personal expenses, including some meals during the Institute.

Explore connections between economics and environment.

Learn about Ecuadorian ecosystems and the people who live and work in them.

See Heifer International’s success in helping communities to become more self-reliant.

Work with local teachers and students.

Tropical Ecology Institute

Dates: July 22-30, 2014Location: Belize, Central America and Raleigh, NCActivity Level: Moderate to rigorous, including walking/hiking in tropical (high heat/humidity) settings, canoeing and snorkelingCost: $1,300 (includes supplies, round-trip air travel between Raleigh and Belize, all ground transportation, instruction, lodging and meals). Participants are responsible for travel to and from Raleigh, expenses in Raleigh during pre- and post-trip sessions, and personal expenses, including some meals during the Institute.

The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium, a program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Program in the Humanities and Human Values, works with schools, governments, and community organizations to prepare North Carolina’s young people to be active, responsible citizens. Each month the Consortium delivers an email newsletter with news and opportunities for civic engagement.

February is Black History Month and the NC Civic Education Consortium has hundreds of lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations for teaching middle and high school students about the history of African Americans. Highlighted in the NCCEC newsletter are lessons about North Carolina settlements of Freedmen, Durham’s Hayti community, the Wilmington riots, and much more.

The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium is also offering professional development opportunities for educators. Two unique offerings are:

This two day seminar, offered on April 11-12, 2014 at UNC-Chapel Hill, will take a unique look at The Diary of Anne Frank and use it as a basis for a more comprehensive look at the lives of Jewish families and how they’ve been portrayed, as well as the disruption wrought on them by the Holocaust. Teachers will have the opportunity to participate in and receive sample lesson plans on the topics and themes covered throughout the two days, designed for easy implementation in the middle and high school classroom, as well as dialogue with one another regarding ideas, resources and best practices for teaching this complex history.

Participants will receive 1.5 renewal credits at the end of the seminar. Teachers will also travel to Raleigh for free admittance into Burning Coal Theatre’s production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Over one hundred thousand Japanese men, women, and children—the majority of whom were American citizens—were removed from their homes and relocated to camps under the watchful eye of the government. Teachers will have the opportunity to explore the many complicated issues that arose from this extralegal act by the U.S. government throughout this unique two day event that is offered April 25-26, 2014 at the Chapel Hill Public Library. The program will include a mixture of lectures for expanding content knowledge as well as pedagogical exploration addressing ways to convey this period of history to middle and high school students.

In addition, teachers will receive free admittance PlayMakers Repertory Company’s PRC2 production of Jeanne Sakata’s critically acclaimed play, Hold These Truths, inspired by the life of Gordon Hirabayashi.

Participants will receive 1.2 renewal credits for attending this seminar.

To register for these trainings, fill out the application form and submit it to Paul Bonnici by fax, 919-962-4318, or email, bonnici@unc.edu.

The Library of Congress is now accepting applications for its week-long summer programs for K-12 educators. Held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the professional development provides educators with tools and resources to effectively integrate primary sources into K-12 classroom teaching, with an emphasis on student engagement, critical thinking, and construction of knowledge.

Tuition and materials are provided at no cost. Selected participants are responsible for transportation to and from Washington, D.C., and any required overnight accommodations.

The Library is offering five programs this summer: three of the programs are open to teachers and librarians across the content areas, another focuses on civil rights, and one concentrates on primary sources in science education. (Previous Teacher Institute participants are eligible to apply for the science program.)

Institutes open to K-12 teachers and school librarians across the content areas:

The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium, a program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Program in the Humanities and Human Values, works with schools, governments, and community organizations to prepare North Carolina’s young people to be active, responsible citizens. Each month the Consortium delivers an email newsletter with news and opportunities for civic engagement.

Are you ready for Black History Month? The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium has hundreds of lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations relating to Black History. There are lessons for both middle and high school students. Check out their database of lessons on their website.

Educators will also find professional development workshops. This spring the CEC is offering:

Talking Race in the Shadow of Controversy, January 25, 2014

The UNC Program in the Humanities, in collaboration with the Chapel Hill Public Library, will host two afternoons of community dialogue in which participants reflect on Jim Crow history and explore its impact on today’s society. The conversation will continue on Saturday, February 22, 2014 for a book discussion of Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America, at 2 PM at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

This seminar will take a unique look at The Diary of Anne Frank and use it as a basis for a more comprehensive look at the lives of Jewish families and how they’ve been portrayed, as well as the disruption wrought on them by the Holocaust.

“Hold These Truths”: Reflection on Japanese Internment During World War II, April 25-26, 2014

This two day event held at the Chapel Hill Public Library will include a mixture of lectures for expanding content knowledge as well as pedagogical exploration addressing ways to convey this period of history to middle and high school students.

Check the CEC newsletter for more in-depth information about these upcoming opportunities, a summer institute at the Smithsonian Institution, Colonial Williamsburg electronic field trip, and much more.

Beyond the Trail of Tears: A View from the Cherokee Homeland, is a Summer Institute for K-12 school teachers and eligible graduate students.

The Institute is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and hosted by the North Carolina Center for the Advancement in Teaching (NCCAT). This three-week Institute will be located in Cullowhee, North Carolina and surrounding locations from Sunday, June 29 to Saturday, July 19, 2014.

In this Institute, participants will examine the removal, its causes, and its consequences, through the history of the Cherokee experience. The story of the Cherokee removal cannot substitute as the story for all tribes, but it can exemplify this American saga and provide a window into underlying cultural and economic tensions that form a recurring theme in conflicts between people and across time.

Interested K-12 educators and eligible graduate students are encouraged to apply. Further information regarding eligibility is available at http://www.nccat.org/neh. Those accepted into the program will receive a $2700.00 stipend to offset Institute costs.

The application deadline is March 4, 2014. For more information, please contact Elaine Franklin